Updates for media professionals transitioning to digital

"Are we so uncertain about what media is now because we can't figure out how to sell effective advertising on all of it anymore?"
    
This is a  long overdue newsletter as we've been busily developing content for clients and traveling like crazy delivering it!  There has been a lot going on in the digital media space (final 2009 ad spend numbers from the IAB, Gmail Buzz and Facebook Australia coming under scrutiny for privacy issues, the IAB says guidelines on auto-refreshed pages are coming, etc).

There has also been a lot of buzz about comments Joe Talcott (Chair of the Australian Association of National Advertisers, and head of marketing at News Limited) made at a forum held by the AANA (as reported in The Australian), comparing banner ads to beer coasters. 

"The internet is not a medium," Mr Talcott said. "It's a place where people do stuff."  "There ís media on the internet, no question," he said.  "No one sits down to 'watch the internet.'"

"Social networks should not be compared with TV and radio; they should be compared with socialising," he said.  "To some degree, banner ads are like pub coasters - they're ads that appear when you're socialising and I reckon they get about the same amount of attention."

Talcott said online activities such as banking, online shopping, research for online shopping, even time spent on Facebook should be excluded in research tracking time spent online.  This sparked a heated debate on Ben Shepherd's Talking Digital  blog.

We hear so much from social media gurus in T-shirts, that it's kind of refreshing to hear from a grown up marketer once in a while.  But isn't media simply content that people can read, watch, search and comment on?  Are we so uncertain about what media is now because we can't figure out how to sell effective advertising on all of it anymore? Many media owners are like deer in the headlights of ad networks selling commoditised inventory, social media sites, and Google.  "Given so much traffic to almost all sites comes from Google, you have to think that many sites are serving a role as a brandless information fulfillment channel rather than a trusted media brand that is turned to by a loyal audience." (Ben Shepherd, Talking Digital).

I see too many media brands that get caught up in fear and uncertainty about the exponential increase in competition around them, and don't spend enough time aggressively hammering home the benefits of their brand in the market. What makes your brand/site/offerings special? Who is your unique audience and how do they use your site? How do you measure your audience? Show me case studies of successful campaigns.

We've been telling the story of the changing media landscape, due to digital technology, a lot lately.  Debates like the above highlight the confusion about what media is becoming - even among digital industry thinkers. So, if "digital" is relatively new to you, don't be put off by this - none of us really understand where media will end up - but we can all be part of its evolution.


Campaign of note
Refresh Everything
PepsiCo Americas chief consumer engagement office, Frank Cooper, keynoted at the IAB's Annual Leadership Meeting in the US in late Feb.  He said that while the ad industry is in the midst of a brand marketing crisis, digital will be the pathway to better interactions with consumers.

Pepsi caused a stir when it pulled its advertising from the Super Bowl this year in favour of a digital strategy which includes inviting consumers to help create the latest version of Mountain Dew, as well as the Pepsi Refresh Project. This will be a cornerstone of their marketing in 2010. Pepsi will commit to US$20 million in funding to make consumers' ideas on "how to move the world forward" a reality. Have a look here.

Online advertising spending results for 2009

The Q4 09 report from the IAB Australia and PricewaterhouseCoopers is out, showing a 2009 calendar year spend of $1.87 billion in Australia.  See the press release here

The IAB New Zealand has released their report as well, showing total spend of $213.89 million for 2009. More details here.

Thanks for reading, and we'll see you next month

Patty Keegan, Director

Digital Chameleon

www.digitalchameleon.net

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Digital Chameleon is a professional development company.  We specialise in helping media & marketing professionals transition their skills to digital

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Australia